Secretary of State Marco Rubio and UFC CEO Dana White have reached an agreement to use cage fights for diplomacy, the State Department said Monday — six days before President Trump hosts seven mixed martial arts fights on the White House lawn.
Rubio and White will sign an MOU Thursday afternoon to “mark a new public-private partnership to enhance sports diplomacy initiatives and collaborate on the global growth of mixed martial arts,” the State Department said.
The announcement further serves to mainstream UFC after White led the construction of a massive steel structure next to the White House to host the fights Sunday on Trump’s 80th birthday. The official occasion is the country’s 250th’s anniversary on July 4.
